A year before coach David Esquer was told his team would be eliminated for budgetary reasons, his predecessor was telling former players to boycott the program's fundraising efforts.

In a 2009 e-mail addressed to several former Cal players and circulated among scores more, former coach Bob Milano urged them "to keep the pressure on the Baseball Program" by not contributing money to the program and not taking part in the team's annual golf tournament, alumni day or preseason dinner.

That summer, Milano had met with athletic director Sandy Barbour. Esquer and several former players said in recent interviews that they believe Milano hoped Barbour would fire Esquer.

Milano denies he was trying to get Esquer fired. He wouldn't discuss what happened in the meeting with Barbour other than to say he was "fried" at the state of Cal baseball and urged Barbour not to let the program "fester."

Milano had spent 29 years at Cal, including his time as a player and 22 seasons as the head coach. He was inducted into the American Baseball Coaches Association's Hall of Fame in 2010.

When he retired in 1999, he hoped Cal would promote his pitching coach, Dave Lawn, to replace him, as Milano confirmed in an interview this week. Instead, then-athletic director John Kasser picked Esquer, a Pepperdine assistant who had played and coached at Stanford.

In 2009, Cal had its worst season under Esquer. Despite having seven players who would be drafted by major-league teams that year, the Bears finished ninth in the Pac-10 Conference.

Barbour wouldn't discuss her meeting with Milano but she said she had seen his e-mail, which he sent out shortly afterward. "It's always unfortunate when any Cal alum who professes to care deeply about our athletic program feels the proper course is to withhold funds," she said.

Asked what he thought of the job Esquer has done this season, as the team's death sentence was lifted and Cal made the College World Series, Milano said, "I didn't see many games, so that's tough for me to answer."